Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Sir Keir Starmer and other leaders have “effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power”.

He also accused British, French and Canadian leaders of siding with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers”.

In a video posted on X addressing Thursday’s attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC, Netanyahu said Sir Keir, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney wanted Israel to “stand down and accept that Hamas’s army of mass murderers will survive”.

Downing Street has declined to comment directly on Netanyahu’s remarks, but pointed to Sir Keir’s previous condemnation of the Washington attack on X.

In that post, Sir Keir called antisemitism an “evil we must stamp out”.

On Monday, the UK, France and Canada condemned the expanded Israeli military operation and denial of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, and threatened concrete actions if they did not stop.

Netanyahu said Hamas want to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people.

“I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others.”

“I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer, when mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice.”

“You’re on the wrong side of humanity, and you’re on the wrong side of history,” he added.

An Israeli minister, Amichai Chikli, said Sir Keir and other leaders had been “emboldening the forces of terror”.

Earlier, the UK prime minister said he was “horrified” by Israel’s actions and called the situation in Gaza “intolerable”, adding that Israel’s decision to allow only a small amount of aid into Gaza was “utterly inadequate”.

In an interview for BBC World Service’s Newshour programme, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the current Israeli administration as a “gang of thugs”.

He was asked about remarks by the Israeli education minister, who had said Olmert should be ashamed of a previous interview with the BBC, where he argued that what Israel was doing in Gaza was “close to a war crime”.

“This is nonsense, they are a group of thugs that are running the state of Israel these days and the head of the gang is Netanyahu – this is a gang of thugs,” Olmert said.

“Of course they are criticising me, they are defaming me, I accept it, and it will not stop me from criticising and opposing these atrocious policies.”

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas’s cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 53,762 people, including 16,500 children, have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

Supported housing, which helps vulnerable or disabled people live independently, is in crisis, an open letter signed by more than 170 organisations in the sector claims.

Services at one in three providers in England had to shut last year, adding to a total shortfall of about 325,000 places, says the letter, which will be delivered to Prime Minister Keir Starmer today. Signatories to it include Refuge, Age UK and the National Housing Federation (NHF).

Blaming cuts to council funding and rising costs, the NHF says a further one in three providers fear they may close unless the government pledges more money.

The government says supported housing is vital and it is focused on building more homes.

About half a million people in the UK currently live in supported housing, including young care leavers, army veterans, people with learning disabilities and those escaping homelessness or domestic abuse.

“Supported housing plays an indispensable role in cutting NHS waiting list backlogs, and reducing pressure on social care, temporary accommodation, and other vital public services,” the open letter says.

However, it says the future of supported housing is now at risk following “years of funding cuts” and that local authorities have now been forced to “decommission vital services”.

“Rising costs alongside reduced funding have rendered many services unviable, forcing many to close, while demand for supported housing continues to rise. The decision to increase employers’ National Insurance contributions has placed even further pressure on providers’ budgets.”

The organisations are calling for long-term increased funding for housing-related support of at least £1.6bn per year for councils and for supported homes to be among the 1.5 million new houses planned by the government.

“We recognise the vital role played by supported housing in helping vulnerable people to live independently and well, and the contribution it makes to tackling rough sleeping and timely hospital discharge,” a spokesperson for the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

The spokesperson said the government was putting £2bn into increasing social and affordable housebuilding in 2026-27, with further details to be set out in a long-term housing strategy later this year.

Proponents of austerity measures say tough funding choices need to be made to balance the UK’s finances.

However, Shaoxiong Liu says his family do not know what they would have done without a supported housing place for his son Jason.

Aged 39, Jason has autism, a learning disability and mental health challenges. As he grew older, this became increasingly unmanageable for his family. After falling ill, Jason was admitted to hospital with sepsis in 2017.

Due to his challenging behaviour and a condition that induces severe vomiting, he remained in hospital for months as they struggled to find somewhere long term that could accommodate his needs.

He was eventually placed with Advance Housing, where his family says Jason has flourished in the intervening eight years. His weight has risen from 35kg to 53kg, he can go on bus trips and attends social events organised by the housing provider.

“Jason’s behaviour is so much better now. He’s lived there so long and he’s happy there,” Mr Liu says. “Jason is an adult now and we are in our 70s, so his behaviour could be quite dangerous for us if he lived with us – we couldn’t look after him.”

The NHF says one in three providers in England it surveyed say they may have to stop providing services altogether, meaning the loss of 70,000 supported homes across the country.

In 2009, ringfenced council funding for housing-related support was removed. When council budgets were cut during austerity from 2010, funding was needed in other areas, meaning some councils had to cut supported housing services.

The NHF says that means there are now fewer supported homes than in 2007, including a net loss of 3,000 supported homes in the last three years. It calculates there is a total shortfall of up to 325,000 supported homes, based on unmet need.